


Ten Days

by theyellowumbrella



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F, so so soft, so soft, this is 100 percent fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 19:47:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13597092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theyellowumbrella/pseuds/theyellowumbrella
Summary: Vanessa waves off Charity and the boys on their holiday, and has a bit of a wobble while doing so.





	Ten Days

**Author's Note:**

> thanks 2 my personal cheerleader emily ! ur the best
> 
> also for the record wednesday means valentine's day n i should have Expanded more but i was lazy

“Erm, Noah, can you watch Moses for a minute, babe? I’ll be right back.”

Noah furrows his brow in confusion, but welcomes Moses into his arms without question when Charity passes him over. He adjusts him in his arms, shuffling him about on his hip when he lets out a little cry, calming him almost immediately.

“Why? What are you —” He stops speaking when he spies Vanessa over his mum’s shoulder, far too obviously staring at them from down the street. “Oh. Now I get it.”

Charity purses her lips and stares disapprovingly at him, but doesn’t make an attempt to refute it. “Just — I’ll be right back, alright?”

With that, she leaves them standing by the car with the suitcases and heads off down the street in the direction of Tug Ghyll, where Vanessa is. She’s standing by the gate, practically gawping at all of the suitcases, and Charity can’t help but feel her heart swell at the sight of her.

Vanessa’s too busy staring at Noah and Moses and trying to work out what’s going on to notice Charity approaching. “Alright, babe?” Charity greets, and Vanessa flinches, clearly shocked at the sudden presence.

Vanessa changes her stance then, tensing up and raising her head high, as if she’s trying to make herself look tougher. Charity smiles at the image, at how transparent Vanessa is. It’s almost nice, now, the games that they play. She doesn’t feel unsteady anymore, doesn’t feel like every time they mess each other about that the foundations of their relationship are crumbling beneath them.

“Christ!” she hisses, jumping back as if she’s been scalded. “You can’t just sneak up on me like that!”

Charity just laughs at her, and after a few seconds, Vanessa betrays herself by letting a smile of her own spread onto her face. They stand like that for a moment, just enjoying the peaceful moment together, before Vanessa seems to remember where her confusion stemmed from.

“What, er, what’s with the bags?” she asks, nodding her head over to Noah, who’s standing beside the suitcases looking like he’s quickly losing all will to live, jiggling Moses about in his arms to keep him entertained. “Going away somewhere?”

“Er, yeah,” Charity says, suddenly feeling sheepish. “Sorry, I - I was gonna tell you, I just … It’s all been a bit hectic, y’know — getting packed and all that.”

“Where are you going?”

“Lanzarote.”

Vanessa smiles, tight-lipped all of a sudden. “Sounds nice.”

Charity looks to the ground, shoving her hands in her pockets just so she has something to do with them. “Yeah, well. It’s Noah, you know. Keeping his mind off all the stuff with Joe.”

“Yeah, of course,” Vanessa says.

“And, I mean, we’re well overdue for a holiday now, so … just felt like the right time.”

Vanessa nods a bit too enthusiastically. “Yeah. How, er, how long will you be away?”

Charity bites down on her bottom lip. She hadn’t really considered how Vanessa might react to the news that she was disappearing for over a week so soon into their new relationship. “Ten days?” she says, but it comes out as more of a nervous question.

Vanessa’s face falls. “Oh… right. So, you won’t be back for Wednesday, then?”

Charity’s eyes go wide as she tries to wrack her brain for what could possibly be happening on Wednesday. Vanessa’s birthday? No, she’s sure that’s in March, and it’s far too soon for an anniversary, so…

“Wednesday?” she asks, against her better judgement. “Am I forgetting something? A birthday, or …?”

Vanessa visibly grinds her teeth, before forcing a smile onto her mouth that’s just a bit too big for her face. “No, it’s — never mind. I must have my dates mixed up, think there’s something on at the surgery. Don’t worry about it.”

“Ness —”

“Have an amazing time, yeah? Send me a postcard, and remember and take loads of pictures!” Vanessa says. The words spill out too fast, too frantic, and Charity just sighs.

“Babe,” she says. “Just breathe.”

Vanessa takes a deep breath out. “Sorry, I … sorry.”

“It’s fine, babe,” Charity says, giving Vanessa a soft smile. She nudges her in the shoulder, sharing a little look with her that she hope gets across that it’s okay — that she’s not freaked out by Vanessa’s freak out. “It’s only ten days. You really gonna miss me that much?”

Vanessa curls in on herself a little, drawing back a little from Charity. “Would it be so bad if I did?” she asks, voice suddenly small. “Y’know … miss you? Just a bit?”

Charity can’t help the smile that cracks onto her face. There’s something about Vanessa that just makes her feel so warm, so loved, that she can’t help but want to be around her all the time. Part of her’s almost tempted to ask Vanessa and Johnny to join her and the boys in Lanzarote, but she reckons that might be coming on a bit strong.

“C’mere,” she says. “I’ll miss you too, you daft cow.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Charity pulls Vanessa in for a kiss then, soft and gentle. She’s never been very good at putting her feelings on the line, but this is something she knows she can do. This is something she knows she can get across to Vanessa. She lets out a tiny sigh of relief when she feels Vanessa smiling against her mouth, glad to have finally comforted her.

They stand like that for a few moments until they’re snapped out of their reverie by Noah shouting across the street. “ _ Mum _ !” he exclaims. “Would you hurry up? My arms are all numb!”

Charity pulls back, laughing against Vanessa’s cheek when she knocks against it. “Guess that’s my cue then, eh?”

“Guess so,” Vanessa replies, but she’s smiling, and Charity thinks that’s all that matters.

Charity presses a clumsy kiss to the edge of her mouth, lets it linger for a second longer than she normally would, and then wraps Vanessa in a hug. She nestles her face into Vanessa’s shoulder, dropping a kiss to it quickly. She lets herself revel in the feeling of having Vanessa in her arms until she decides Noah’s probably going to shout again, when she pulls back.

She kisses Vanessa on the lips once more, chaste and quick. “Ten days, babe. Then I’m all yours.”

“Ten days,” Vanessa repeats as Charity pulls back and starts walking away. “Have fun.”

Charity just smiles in response, jogging a little to catch up to Noah, who’s standing by the car with Moses in his arms looking like he’s ready to kill her. 

“You’re such an embarrassment,” he says as he offloads Moses back into Charity’s arms, shaking his own off to regain feeling, but Charity catches the little smile on his face and reckons he’s probably happy for them. It feels nice.

**Author's Note:**

> speak to me on tumblr ! noahdingles.tumblr.com


End file.
